House

A swallow's view

This fortified manor house is set on a high bluff on the Cornish bank of the river Tamar, which gave natural protection from skirmishing armies approaching from the east. Inside our rambling stone walls you'll find a fascinating collection that reflects the antiquarian taste of the Georgian Edgcumbes. The family developed the interiors between about 1750 and 1860 in a deliberate attempt to evoke a sense of nostalgia and recreate the atmosphere of the 'good old days'.

Granite and slatestone

The house is an architectural hotch-potch, mainly re-built in Tudor times. The chapel (pictured slightly left of centre) was first consecrated in 1411, and was re-modelled in the early 1500s. At a similar time the hall was widened, and the south wall (right side) was moved forward, ‘squashing’ the chapel into a corner.

Tapestry cut-and-paste job

Two different tapestries, joined together

When you look closely, the house has many quirky furnishings and curious features. It was a play-house for the Edgcumbes, and they made it a masterpiece of improvisation. This photo shows two completely different tapestries that were neatly adjoined to fit the wall space. It is only one of many examples of artistic compromise found in the house.

Seventeenth-century armour

The fingers of this 17th-century iron arm, part of our collection of arms and armour, can be fixed in position, enabling the wearer to grip a horse’s reins or a weapon.